


Of Ink and Bouquets

by Overstuffedjiaozi



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Angst, Byleth is tatted af, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fluff, No Beta, Pls don't kill me, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24451828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overstuffedjiaozi/pseuds/Overstuffedjiaozi
Summary: Byleth can't figure out who's been leaving her bouquets at the shop every morning, maybe the handsome, blond flower shop owner across the street could help?My take on the flower shop/tattoo shop AU
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Of Ink and Bouquets

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be my first attempt at writing a full-fledged story and my own spin of the flower shop/tattoo au. It's been an incredibly hard time for all of us during this pandemic and course of history, I hope my story could help ease the pain of quarantine and the injustices we face as a society. This story is still in the making, so the rating could change, look at the ending notes for more information! Thank you for the support!

There was already a bouquet waiting on the welcome mat of Byleth’s shop when she came up to the door. It was like clockwork, every morning before her shop opened, there was always a bouquet of flowers, never missing a day. It left a pleasant feeling for Byleth to see it every morning but also the question of who has been behind the bouquets.

The shop was completely empty, the only sign of life was Byleth herself. It was a small shop with an industrial-modern vibe, the walls were a dark grey and exposed pipes helped sell the rough aesthetic her dad had in mind. There were draws of flash tattoos and personal favorite tattoos littered on the walls, one of them was a portrait her father has tattooed on the shoulder of his right arm of Byleth’s mom, Sitri, posing with a stoic face Byleth as a young girl in pigtails. It was a memorial piece for her father before her mom passed away. 

Byleth never got around to asking who would be leaving her the bouquets, never mind the Blue Lions flower shop opened a few weeks prior just across the street. Maybe they would know who was responsible for leaving bouquets at her doorstep every morning, but her schedule barely allowed it. After her father with the other shop tattooists left to attend tattoo conventions throughout Fodlan, Byleth’s days were occupied with tattooing clients by herself, barely having a break for herself beyond eating. 

Today was no different, her planner was packed with different sessions and designs, she had to prepare for. Scanning the list of names, one particular name stood out, _Sylvain Gautier_. His tattoo request wasn’t usual for Byleth to see, a simple smiley face on his right butt cheek. Normally drunk people requested a tattoo like this during a walk-in, especially with the Golden Deer bar next door, where Byleth would normally find her father, but this was a planned appointment. 

_How odd…_ Byleth ponders to herself, propping her hand on her chin. 

_There she is._ Dimitri thinks to himself smiling, watching the dark blue hair woman across the street at the Eisner Tattoo Shop. Every morning, Dimitri would leave a bouquet at the footstep of her door and watch from afar how she would react. It wasn’t hard for Dimitri to wake up early to leave them for her, especially since he never got much sleep to begin with but everytime he saw her mesmerizing smile, it told him that it was worth it. 

And again, today’s arrangement didn’t fail to make the woman smile. Dimitri never got a chance to introduce himself or get her name since opening the Blue Lions flower shop, with the overwhelming number of orders and maintaining his image. Yet, she always got his attention, her tattoo station was located near the front of her store, whenever the flower shop wasn’t busy he would tend to the flowers near the front of his shop as an excuse to watch her. She wasn't a very expressive person from what Dimitri noticed, she always held a stoic yet serene expression on her face that would shift into deep concentration when she tattooed her clients. There was barely an opportunity for them to meet but in the meantime, Dimitri was satisfied with leaving her bouquets to see her smile. 

“Did she enjoy your bouquet, Sir?” A deep, monotone voice asks Dimitri, causing the blond man to jump in surprise, crushing the metal handle of the watering can. 

“Dedue!” Dimitri turns to Dedue, his cheeks turning pink. “Please… don’t sneak up on me like that… What makes you say I was watching her?”

“Well, weren’t you Boar?” Another voice hisses, Dimitri looks over Dedue shoulder to see Felix clutching a pair of garden shears, trimming the leaves off a plant he was holding. Dimitri opens his mouth to rebuttal but gets interrupted. 

“Don’t be silly, Felix!” Sylvain yells as he walks through the front door of the Blue Lions shop, holding a shipment box full of plants, “Of course, he would be watching her, he’s been doing it ever since he first saw her.”

“Enough!” Dimitri raised his voice, before clearing his throat, “I was just making sure, she received it. That’s all…” 

“Oh, my.” A gentle, feminine voice injected, “Did she not like you picked for once?” Mercedes walked in holding an orchid plant, following Annette who was holding a similar plant. 

“I don’t think so, Mercie! Dimitri would have been sulking if she didn’t.” Annette said positively. 

“How could she not?” Sylvain asks, “It’s a bouquet of gardenias, even if she doesn’t get the meaning of them. Every woman likes receiving flowers, I know from experience.” 

“Yeah, of course you do.” Felix grumbles, “What's even the meaning behind gardenias anyways?” 

“I believe they mean secret love.” Ashe stutters, as he and Ingrid are balancing a pallet of soil in between them. “They also tell the recipient that they’re lovely.” 

“She is lovely alright,” Sylvain says suggestively, wagging his eyebrows, “I’m sure Dimitri even memorized all her tattoos, including the one on her- ow! Felix.” Dimitri looks over to see Slyvain clutching his arm where Felix poked him with his shears. 

“Normally Ingrid would do this but she’s busy doing her job, unlike you.” Felix sneers. 

“That’s enough everyone,” Dimitri says, commanding the attention of the Blue Lions to him, “We’re about to open soon, so everyone get into your positions for whenever a guest comes in. We don’t want to disappoint anyone.” 

“Yes, sir!” The Blue Lion members cheered, while some nodded. 

“Huh, I wonder what’s going on over there, Claude.” Hilda says casually, looking out the window of the Golden Deer bar, leaning on the bar counter with her elbow, watching the Blue Lions flower shop opening their shop. 

“Hmm… I guess his princeliness left another bouquet today.” Claude appears from behind the counter, taking an inventory of what they were missing. “Say, Hilda, weren’t you supposed to restock the vodka for tonight?” 

Hilda sighs, boredly. “Can’t you get someone else to do it? You know much I hate working, besides why are we here this early? We never open until afternoon.”

Claude smirks smugly, “Because I want to see what happens between his princeliness and the Teach. Admit it, Hilda. You also have been waiting to see what will happen.” 

Hilda sighs, defeated. “I guess you’re right Claude, pour me a drink will ya?” 

“It’s 9 in the morning, Hil. Besides, the Vodka bottles are mostly water.” 

In the Eisner Tattoo shop, Byleth’s day was going pretty well, she only had a few clients due to the size of the tattoo designs they requested. Her mood got better when she overheard the Blue Lions cheering for their leader before they opened their shop, even from across the street. Their store was sometimes as busy as her own shop, even clients would go over there to come back with a plant or flower of their own during their session breaks. Everyone who came in contact with the Blue Lions flower shop constantly raved about the kindness of their staff, along with how attractive the staff were, specifically the blond hair owner. 

Byleth had just finished the shading details of a traditional-style Fodlan tattoo onto her client named Petra, who had her own indigenous tattoos from Brigid. It was an image of a monochromatic wolf howling in front of a moon on the inside of Petras left arm. Although Byleth is typically quiet and focused during her appointments, she learned a great deal about the cultures outside of Fodlan through her conversation with Petra and why she decided to add some Fodlan tattoos as a way of honoring her time in Fodlan. Petra’s friend Bernadetta went across the street to the Blue Lion’s shop after raving about how much she adores plants and couldn’t handle seeing the tattoo needle on Petra’s skin, despite the former dragging Bernadetta out from her room to accompany her, leaving Byleth and Petra alone.

“Okay, Ms. Petra. You’re all finished.” Byleth says, placing her tattoo gun on her station cart while removing the needle to be disposed of. “Do you want to look at it in the mirror before I wrap it up?”

Petra moves to the large mirror by Byleth’s station, admiring her newest tattoo. “I love it, thank you Ms...Byleth.” Byleth nods as she begins to wrap Petra’s arm with the saniderm, providing Petra different ways she can care for her new tattoo after she takes off the wrap. 

“After the following days, make sure to use a gentle pH soap to clean the tattoo area then moisturize it. You don’t need to wrap it up again but avoid direct sunlight and use sunscreen.” 

“I’ll make sure to follow your instructions, Ms. Byleth.” Petra bows her head slightly, before continuing to say, “I find it interesting that Fodlan’s inking process is quite similar to Brigid’s, despite having different types of ink.” 

“Oh, really?” Byleth asks, “I never seen Brigid’s tattoos before today, I liked the meanings from what you told me. You must be proud of them.” 

Petra smiles, happy to find another person to appreciate her tattoos, “Of course, they’re reminders of my family for me and the spirits around us.” 

Eventually, Petra paid Byleth for her tattoo, even leaving a generous tip for Byleth. They continued to chat until they noticed that Bernadetta hadn't returned from the flower shop. Since there was some time before Byleth’s next client, Sylvain’s, appointment to come, it didn’t hurt to tag along with Petra in search of her friend and see what the Blue Lions shop was all about.

“Hey, Your Highness, are you free later today?” Sylvain asks, sweeping the floor around the cash register where Dimitri was counting today’s profits. It was almost closing time with most of the Blue Lions left home early leaving Sylvain, Dimitri, and Dedue to close the shop. 

Dimitri frowns, confused on what Sylvain was hinting at. “No, why?” 

Sylvain grins, before saying, “Well, today’s your lucky day! You’re coming with me to my tattoo appointment to meet your dream girl!” 

“Okay… Sylvain,” Dimitri says, not registering what Sylvain was saying at first before it hit him. “Wait, what?!” 

“You’re finally going to meet your crush today!” Sylvain exclaims much to Dimitri’s embarrassment. 

“Keep it down, Sylvain.” Dimitri growls, his cheeks flaring in a bright pink, “We still have guests here.” Nodding his head to the flustered purple hair girl who was admiring the venus flytraps at the back of the store. 

Sylvain shakes his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever man, but you didn’t deny you have a crush on her.”

“A crush on who?” Another female voice appears, shocking both Sylvain and Dimitri. Dimitri turns to the entrance of the store and his stomach drops at the sight of who it was. 

_Oh Sothis, she’s here._ Dimitri’s already reddening cheeks turned into a darker scarlet when he caught sight of Byleth walking in, along with a woman with pink hair and tattoos, who Dimitri guessed was one of the blue hair woman’s clients but Dimitri’s attention was trained on Byleth. _And she’s more beautiful up close._

Dimitri’s eyes trail along the path of Byleth’s face, admiring how lovely her lavender eyes were to her sharp nose and kissable lips. Lips that held the most beautiful smile that Dimitri has ever seen. 

Dimitri clears his throat before putting up his “princely” persona that Felix would call it, “Welcome to the Blue Lions Flower Shop!” The blue haired woman is still holding a neutral expression as she takes in the flower shop. 

it was a lot bigger than Byleth’s tattoo studio, she notes to herself even having a staircase on the left that leads to the second floor of the shop. The walls were decorated in a perfectly themed royal blue but shroud in vines and refrigeration shelves. The vibrant colors of the flowers were even more bright under the store's lights, making Byleth wonder how much nicer they would look if they were in natural sunlight. The overall feel of the shop reminded Byleth of the cottages in fairy tales her dad used to read for her when she was younger, it felt like a familiar place to be. 

Petra follows Byleth in and her eyes immediately tracks down the familiar purple mop of hair in the corner of the store, crouched over some plants. “There you are, Bernie! I've been waiting for you.” 

Bernie immediately whips her head in the direction of the two women who walked in, recognizing them instantly, “Petra! Ms. Byleth! What are you doing here?” Walking up to the two women. 

Sylvain nudged Dimitri’s arm, grabbing his attention as the purple hair woman and the pink hair women were talking, “Hey, maybe it’s a good time to introduce yourself.” 

Dimitri nods in agreement before walking towards Byleth, his heart pounding with each step. He can already see the intricate design of a Sothis tattoo peeking out from the lacy thighs on the woman’s leg. _She’s going to kill me!_ Dimitri internally panics but still holds a brave face. The woman is taking in the interior of the store, quietly observing while Dimitri was quietly observing her. Each delicate lash to the lines of tattoos that were peeking out from Byleth’s outfit, Dimitri committed them to memory. 

“Excuse me,” Dimitri says gently, grabbing Byleth’s attention before bending his torso forward into a bow. “My name is Dimitri. And you are?” Dimitri lifts his eyes to meet Byleth and immediately falls into them. 

Byleth blinks in surprise as she locks eyes with the blond man that was from behind the counter when she walked in. He was a head taller than her but didn’t give an imposing presence. He wore a vibrant blue dress shirt under a dark brown apron, along with some dark jeans and heavy duty work boots. Byleth barely noticed he even spoke to her, struck by his handsomeness. Burning a certain heat to Byleth’s stomach.

“I’m sorry, what?” Byleth asks, feeling a little amount of guilt when the blonde giant looked a little dejected. 

Dimitri repeated his question again but this time a little more confident. “My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blayd-, actually you can just call me Dimitri, I’m the owner of the Blue Lions shop. What is your name?” Raising his hand to shake Byleth’s. 

Byleth stares at Dimitri’s gloved hands, before reaching her own. “My name is Byleth, Byleth Eisner, I run the tattoo shop across the street.” 

Their hands connect and Dimitri mentally cusses at himself for wearing gloves to shake her hand and could almost feel the warmth of hers radiating off from it. Byleth, on the other hand, is noting how large his hands were compared to hers, even as far as imagining how easy it would be for someone like him to crush it. Sylvain clears his throat, attracting everyone’s attention to him. Dimitri realizes that he should introduce Sylvain, painfully letting go of Byleth’s hand. 

“Right, this is my employee, Sylvain.” Sylvain winks at Byleth, before also coming up to shake her hand, even bending to kiss it. 

“Pleasure is mine, if you want it to be.” Dimitri glares at Sylvain, about to apologize for his behavior when Byleth interrupted.

“Sylvain, as in Sylvain Gautier?” Byleth asks stoically. 

Sylvain looks confused for a second, “I’m sorry, do I know you? We haven’t hooked up before right?” Sylvain’s normal upbeat personality turned somber in fear for his life. 

Byleth shakes her head, “No,” She was taken aback by what Sylvain suggested, “I’m your tattoo artist, you’re the one who requested for a smiley face.”

Dimitri breathes a sigh of relief, he was so ready to decimate his old classmate into a bloody pulp. “I’m sorry for my friend’s behavior, he’s sort of a skirt… skirt chaser of sorts.” 

“And pants too, if they’re willing.” Sylvain adds, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning. “Sorry for misunderstanding, me and the…” Sylvain wraps an arm around Dimitri’s wide shoulders, barely reaching the other side. “Big guy here, are still closing the shop, whenever those two ladies leave we’ll be there!” He says with a wink. 

At that moment, Bernadetta timidly approaches the group of people, holding a small pot with the venus flytrap she befriended. “E-excuse me, I would like to take Simon home.” 

Sylvain beams at her. “Sure! I’ll help you out.” Leading Bernadetta to the cash register as an excuse to leave Dimitri and Byleth alone. 

Dimitri and Byleth were left still standing in their spots quietly, Dimitri opened his mouth to say something to the object of his affections. When Byleth turned to Dimitri and said, “Well, I guess I’ll go prepare for Sylvain’s appointment. I hope to see you two there.” 

There was a twinge of disappointment watching her walk back out the front door of his shop, but Dimitri knew it was for the better since he was too nervous to say and now he would have the opportunity to see her soon but didn’t get to dwell on it when he hears a woman yelling. Unknown to Dimitri, Byleth was having an internal dilemma herself, mentally kicking herself for freezing up.

“W-what?! You read my stories?!” Bernadetta clutches the flytrap closer to her chest bringing Dimitri’s attention back to the shop, turning away from Sylvain. “Are you going to kill me?” 

“What? No! I was saying I’m a huge fan-” Sylvain didn’t get a chance to finish when Bernadetta rushes past Dimitri, muttering something about Sylvain being a stalker.

“Bernie! Come back!” Petra yelled, before turning to the two men. “She did pay right?” Sylvain nods and with that, Petra chases after Bernadetta.

“What’s going on here?” Dedue’s voice rings through the flower shop as he walks down the stairs, seeing Dimitri glaring at Sylvain. 

“Nothing!” Sylvain raises his hands in defense. “I thought I recognized her and was asking if she planned on finishing the novel she published.” 

Every step towards Byleth’s shop made Dimitri’s heart race and sent his heart further down his stomach. Sylvain’s comments and unsolicited advice did not help Dimitri along the way, there was no way Dimitri was going to request Byleth to tattoo her name on top of his crotch.The thought of her even being close proximity was enough to set Dimitri’s nerves on edge. It wasn’t till Dimitri entered the shop, he felt an almost sense of peace. The first thing that Dimitri noticed was the smell of lavender and chamomile in the shop, it was always a scent that reminded Dimitri of home. 

Byleth looks over her shoulder hearing the door open to her shop, seeing Sylvain and Dimitri walking through the door, offering a small smile in return before disappearing to the back of her shop to gather some materials. 

“Wow, Dimitri! Look at this place!” Sylvain exclaims, excitedly looking at the walls of art. Dimitri could only give a nod of agreement, not trusting his voice to speak but quietly take in his surroundings. 

Sylvain whistles at the tattoo flashes of pinup girls, “Maybe it should be my next tattoo, huh Dimitri?” Sylvain says while nudging Dimitri’s shoulder, wiggling his ginger eyebrows. Dimitri blushes at the sight of the pinup girls. 

Byleth’s heels clinks as she walks up to the two men, holding a clipboard full of documents, “I need you to finish filling out these documents, Mr. Gautier.” Handing them to Sylvain, before turning to Dimitri, “Would you like anything else while you’re here?” 

“Your number?” Dimitri punches Sylvain in the arm.

Byleth was humming a song she used to sing when she attended Garreg Mach, setting up the ink for Sylvain’s tattoo on her station and laying out fresh paper linings on the tattooing table while Sylvain finished his forms. In the corner of her eye, she would spare silent glances at the tall blond who has caught her attention, sometimes making awkward eye contact that would linger or Dimitri looking away embarrassed. 

Byleth wasn’t surprised when it would happen, but what surprised Byleth more was how long Dimitri would hold her gaze. Most people found her stare unnerving, comparing it to an owl with how deep her glaze cut but Dimitri didn’t seem to mind. His eyes were beautiful, a magnificent blue that complimented his blond hair. In her shop’s lights, he looked almost out of place amongst the tough interior compared to his flower shop, it made Byleth wonder if he ever had a tattoo before seeing as he didn’t know to act without Sylvain being there. 

“We’re ready, Miss.” Dimitri says, catching her attention, handing her the clipboard. Their hands briefly touch once again, this time without gloves blocking the heat radiating off of Byleth’s. Leaving Dimitri wanting more. 

“Byleth.” Byleth states stoically. Dimitri blinks confused. “Call me Byleth.” With that, she left.

Sylvain was already on his fifth tissue, crying through the pain of the needle buzzing against his skin. Dimitri was grimacing everytime his friend would squeeze his hand too tightly, despite being stronger than most men his age, he could barely fight off how tightly Sylvain was squeezing. Sylvain was lying chest down with his pants pulled down enough for Byleth to work with, groaning. 

“Say, Byleth.” Sylvain huffs trying to focus while Byleth was drawing the second eye of the smiley face. “That’s… A nice bouquet there… Who sent you it?” 

Byleth stops to glance at the bouquet with Dimitri following her glaze, his cheeks beginning to flush. Byleth shrugs, “I don’t know,” She begins to draw the final line of the face. “I was hoping you guys knew anything about it.” 

Sylvain opens his mouth, “I think I might-” Sylvain stops to groan loudly, when Dimitri squeezes Sylvain’s hand tightly. Dimitri glares at Sylvain through his bangs, mouthing the words ‘shut up’. Sylvain only responded by hitting his hand against the leather cushion of the table, signaling his surrender to Dimitri. 

“What was that?” Byleth says, looking up at Dimitri. 

“I think he’s just groaning because of the pain, Byleth.” Dimitri smiles, relieving Sylvain of his death grip. Byleth nods. 

“I hope I get to meet the person leaving the bouquets. I want to tell them how much I’ve enjoyed them.” Byleth says, smiling. “Okay, Sylvain. You’re done. Do you want to take a look at your tattoo?”

Sylvain responses with a wave and a groan, unable to look up. 

The men leave the shop with Sylvain piggybacking off Dimitri’s back, unable to muster the strength to walk to Dimitri’s car. 

“Easy there!” Sylvain shouts with a groan, his butt smacking against the leather seat of Dimitri’s car. “Look I get you’re mad.”

“Why were you about to tell her my bouquets?!” Dimitri yells, slamming the door of his car. 

“Why not? You've been wanting to ask her out forever since we opened the shop.” 

Dimitri was silent, Sylvain was right. He has been wanting to ask Byleth for a while but something was holding him back. “It’s because I don’t deserve someone like her…” Dimitri whispers. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Sylvain asks. 

“She doesn’t deserve someone like me, what if I’m not what she’s looking for? Or worse, she’s disappointed in me.” Dimitri says staring at the wheel of his car. 

Sylvain shrugs. “Whatever man, you’re a literal prince of a company. I’m sure she’ll fall for that.” 

Dimitri sighs before starting his car and driving off to Sylvain’s house.

**Author's Note:**

> The rating is currently M, but it might become Explicit if I decide to truly write smut, depends on how I feel it would fit in my story. So, please read with caution on further updates. I might not be consist so bear with me!
> 
> I'm also, thinking of making my own version of an audiobook and read out my story in an audio format for those who might be visually-impaired or someone who just rather listen to a recording. Apologies in advance if my voice is not exactly ASMR or audiobook suitable lol. Let me know your thoughts! Please leave any critiques, especially if I accidentally switch tenses (I do it a lot, so pointing it out, helps me!), any kudos or comments are appreciated!! <3


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